MEF is the only industry body offering certification relating to Carrier Ethernet and SD-WAN services. The MEF offers three categories of certification - Services Certification, Technology Certification and Professional Certification.
Services Certification
Carrier Ethernet
When buying Carrier Ethernet services, Subscribers often need to choose between several Service Providers in order to determine their final choice. MEF certification of services provides a useful starting point in the selection process of suppliers of Carrier Ethernet services.
Service Providers that offer E-Line, E-LAN, E-Tree, E-Access or E-Transit services can certify them as being conformant with all relevant MEF specifications as described in the MEF 3.0 Carrier Ethernet certification blueprint.
Carrier Ethernet service certification is achieved through the MEF 3.0 Carrier Ethernet certification program which has been available since 2017. Prior to that, Carrier Ethernet service certification was achieved through the CE 2.0 (2012-2017) and CE 1.0 (2005-2012) programs.
MEF 3.0 services certification is achieved by organizations (not individuals).
The MEF test partner for Carrier Ethernet services certification is Iometrix.
MEF 3.0 certified service providers (that are currently MEF members) are listed on the MEF Services Certification Registry.
SD-WAN
When buying SD-WAN managed services, Subscribers often need to choose between several Service Providers in order to determine their final choice. MEF certification of services provides a useful starting point in the selection process of suppliers of SD-WAN services.
Service Providers that deliver SD-WAN managed services can certify them as being conformant with MEF 70 according to the test requirements laid out in MEF 90.
SD-WAN service certification is achieved through the MEF 3.0 SD-WAN certification program which has been available since early 2020.
MEF 3.0 services certification is achieved by organizations (not individuals).
The MEF test partner for SD-WAN services certification is Spirent.
MEF 3.0 certified service providers (that are currently MEF members) are listed on the MEF Services Certification Registry.
Technology Certification
Carrier Ethernet
Technology vendors that offer solutions for use at the
can certify them as conformant with all the relevant MEF specifications as described in MEF 3.0 Carrier Ethernet certification blueprint.
Carrier Ethernet technology certification is achieved through the MEF 3.0 Carrier Ethernet certification program which has been available since 2017. Prior to that, Carrier Ethernet service certification was achieved through the CE 2.0 (2012-2017) and CE 1.0 (2005-2012) programs.
MEF 3.0 technology certification is achieved by organizations (not individuals).
The MEF test partner for Carrier Ethernet technology certification is Iometrix.
MEF 3.0 certified service providers (that are currently MEF members) are listed on the MEF Technology Certification Registry.
SD-WAN
Technology vendors that offer SD-WAN solutions can certify them as being conformant with MEF 70 according to the test requirements laid out in MEF 90.
SD-WAN technology certification is achieved through the MEF 3.0 SD-WAN certification program which has been available since early 2020.
MEF 3.0 technology certification is achieved by organizations (not individuals).
The MEF test partner for SD-WAN technology certification is Spirent.
MEF 3.0 certified service providers (that are currently MEF members) are listed on the MEF Technology Certification Registry.
Professional Certification
Carrier Ethernet
Individuals that want to demonstrate their knowledge of Carrier Ethernet as defined by the MEF can take the MEF's Carrier Ethernet professional certification 'MEF-CECP' through the MEF Professional Certification Program.
MEF professional certification is achieved by individuals (not organizations).
Individuals or employer organizations interested in achieving MEF-CECP certification should visit the MEF site www.mefprocert.com for more information.
SD-WAN
Individuals that want to demonstrate their knowledge of SD-WAN services as defined by the MEF can take the MEF's SD-WAN professional certification 'MEF-SDCP' through the MEF Professional Certification Program.
MEF professional certification is achieved by individuals (not organizations).
Individuals or employer organizations interested in achieving MEF-SDCP certification should visit the MEF site www.mefprocert.com for more information.
- Only companies with a valid MEF certification are listed on the MEF Certification Registry.
- Companies must be bona fide members of the MEF when undergoing testing for certification of a service or technology.
- Companies have to be current members of MEF in order to remain listed on the MEF Certification Registry having achieved certification.
- MEF 3.0 Test Report IDs are provided on the MEF Certification Registry for each company, together with the date of the certification. Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of the Test Report from the MEF 3.0 Company should apply directly to the MEF 3.0 Company specfying the relevant MEF 3.0 Test Report ID and service or technology name. The MEF 3.0 Company is not obliged to share their MEF 3.0 Test Report.
MEF Certification in Service Provider and Operator RFPs
MEF Certification enables Service Providers and Operators to go to market with MEF 3.0 services certified as being conformant with MEF specifications to support the following market requirements:
Subscribers demand of Service Providers that services be predictable in terms of service functionality and performance. MEF certification increases the confidence of Subscribers that services offered to them do meet functionality and performance requirements.
Services RFPs need to be less complex. Specifying the requirement for MEF 3.0 certification in an RFP replaces long form descriptions of Subscriber requirements.
Services certification also streamlines the interconnection services between different Service Providers and Operators.
Service Providers and Operators choosing technology with which to implement MEF 3.0 services have a very large range of vendor suppliers from which to choose. Commonly Service Providers and Operators state mandatory requirements for MEF certification in their RFPs to Equipment Vendors to reduce the number of products to be assessed. Once the field of of potential products has been narrowed down, Service Providers and Operators save test time in their own labs by relying on MEF certification to allow them to focus on testing product features specific to their own needs, rather than having to retest standardized Carrier Ethernet and SD-WAN functionality.